SPORTS
By Jeff Zrebiec | July 3, 2007
CHICAGO -- Interim manager Dave Trembley sent the message even before Corey Patterson led off the ninth inning with his fourth hit, a double off All-Star closer Bobby Jenks that made a once seemingly insurmountable lead look vulnerable. As the Orioles prepared for the ninth inning, Trembley paced around the dugout and told his team several times, "We're going to play the win." He asked his players to take chances on the bases and to be patient at the plate. He didn't want his best hitters to bunt.
SPORTS
By Childs Walker | January 10, 2007
Mark McGwire came far closer yesterday to dropping off the ballot than entering the Hall of Fame. In an apparent repudiation of baseball's so-called steroid era, just 23.5 percent of Hall of Fame voters endorsed McGwire, the seventh-leading home run hitter in major league history, in his first turn on the ballot. He needed an additional 281 votes for induction, and came within 101 votes of being dropped from the ballot. Among other candidates, longtime closer Rich "Goose" Gossage fell 21 votes short of the 409 needed for election, receiving 71.2 percent.
SPORTS
By Jeff Zrebiec | August 18, 2007
TORONTO -- While there is uncertainty about who will be the Orioles' closer next year with the news that Chris Ray had ligament transplant surgery on his right elbow, manager Dave Trembley said there should be no such ambiguity for the rest of this season. Even though Trembley removed Danys Baez in the middle of a save situation during Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees, the manager said Baez will remain the team's closer in most situations. "I don't think there's anybody else," Trembley said.
SPORTS
By CHILDS WALKER | March 29, 2007
Your friendly neighborhood columnist dived headlong into his fantasy season Sunday with a six-hour auction during the day and a mixed-league draft at night. As is often the case in this foolish pursuit, my best-laid plans became obsolete about an hour after I called out the first bid. So this recap shall serve as a bit of a cautionary tale. But before I explain, let me set up the day. You may remember about five weeks ago, I offered to set up a league for fantasy hard-cores. Well, it came together, and we all met and went through an 11-team, American League auction last weekend.
SPORTS
By Joe Strauss | March 10, 1999
JUPITER, Fla. -- The question was asked of Ray Miller yesterday: When do your pitchers dial it up during spring training?"Any time after their first time out there," Miller answered dryly.Using Miller's Grapefruit League calendar, yesterday's exhibition against the St. Louis Cardinals was time for Mike Timlin to turn it on.The Orioles' new-and-improved $16 million closer offered a solid reply with a scoreless eighth inning in an 8-5 win, securing three ground-ball outs while ignoring his slider, his signature pitch.
SPORTS
May 17, 1999
Quote: "I haven't lost any confidence in my ability to get anybody out. By the fan reaction, you'd think so." -- Cubs closer Rod Beck, who retired one of four batters before being pulled, to loud boos from the crowd of 39,915.It's a fact: The Pirates are 8-3 in the daylight.Who's hot: The Phillies' Rob Ducey is 8-for-15 (.533) in his past six games with two homers and five RBIs.Who's not: In the last three games, Expos starting pitchers gave up 19 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings for an ERA of 14.66.
SPORTS
By Mike Vaccaro | July 18, 1999
NEW YORK -- He seems thrilled by the challenge, by the mystery of the talent in the cannon disguised as his right arm. As the days pass, as his role on the New York Mets becomes more important and more permanent, it has become possible to witness Armando Benitez grow as a pitcher, game to game.Sometimes inning to inning. Sometimes pitch to pitch."What you're watching," Mets manager Bobby Valentine says, "is the creation of a bona fide major-league pitcher. It's something to see."The Orioles, who traded Benitez last off-season after he struggled as their closer in 1998, may get to see how far he has come starting tonight, when they open a three-game series with the Mets at Camden Yards.
SPORTS
By Kent Baker | May 8, 1999
Its past has been dotted with walkovers by Whirlaway and Citation, a historic match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, a 30-year hiatus between races, a revival 11 years ago, a track record by Farma Way in 1991 and purses ranging all the way up to $1 million.The likes of Cigar and Skip Away have prevailed this decade in the Pimlico Special, a Grade I event for older horses at the classic Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles.Today's 34th renewal brings together for the first time the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Real Quiet, and the hard-luck horse of the 1997 Triple Crown series, Free House, who was third in the Derby, second in the Preakness and third in the Belmont.
SPORTS
By JOE STRAUSS | May 28, 1999
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Given eight innings by Sidney Ponson, the Orioles celebrated a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Angels on Wednesday night but left Edison International Field wondering about the game's ending.His patience exhausted by a string of poor late-inning performances, manager Ray Miller bypassed closer Mike Timlin in favor of left-hander Arthur Rhodes during a tense ninth inning that ended nervously, with a drive by the Angels' Todd Greene chasing B. J. Surhoff to the left-field wall.The save was the seventh of Rhodes' career and the first by any reliever other than Timlin this season.
SPORTS
By Roch Kubatko | October 28, 1999
NEW YORK -- Mariano Rivera has a way with numbers, building up some and shrinking others. In the process, he has enhanced his reputation as baseball's most dominant closer while mowing down opponents.The New York Yankees' right-hander tossed 12 1/3 scoreless innings in the 1999 postseason, increasing his streak to 25 2/3 over 18 outings, and capped his team's World Series victory over the Atlanta Braves last night with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 4-1 victory.The last run he allowed in the playoffs came in Game 4 of the 1997 Division Series against Cleveland.